


Cheating The Buddy System

by Hertz



Category: Among Us (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Black Comedy, Near Death Experiences, Other, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:09:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27148513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hertz/pseuds/Hertz
Summary: Green finds themself trapped with a murderous impostor hiding among their fellow crewmates. Too bad the social anxiety from having to buddy up with Yellow might just kill them first.
Relationships: Crewmate/Crewmate (Among Us), Green/Yellow (Among Us)
Comments: 87
Kudos: 202





	1. Chapter 1

Green had always been a bit of a loner, and they liked it that way. No one to bother them in the reactor. No one around in the relaxing sky garden. No one who would ask what they were doing in storage for thirty minutes carefully sorting tools. Everyone knew Green was competent, and that was fine enough for them.

But then Blue had to go and _die_ during the first week on the job.

So here they were, nine hapless people gathered around the emergency button in the cafeteria of MIRA headquarters, gaping at the bisected corpse of Blue.

"Who could have done that?" Cyan was whisper-yelling, gesturing wildly at the body.

"And why would you put this on the _cafe table_ , you sick freak?" Brown added with a glare.

Black looked sheepish. "I mean, we kind of have to know what we're dealing with here."

"Whoever it was, they used much more force than necessary," said Green in a monotone, narrowing their eyes at the blood pooling around the lower half of what had once been Blue's body. "Look at their bones, their spinal cord was snapped clean in half."

"So you're saying there are _aliens_ in here trying to get us?" Pink gasped in horror.

"Why on earth was that your first conclusion?" asked Green with a sigh, but the entire table had broken into a chorus of 'Aliens! Aliens! Aliens!' by that point and Green knew it was pointless to argue.

Yellow gasped. "They'd come from other planets and other galaxies just to kill us here?"

"I mean, yeah, who knows, they're aliens. We don't know a thing about them," said Brown with a shrug. "Beats me what they want with us."

"But that means it has to be one of us right here!" Red suddenly shouted, standing up in their seat. "Show yourself, impostor!"

"It's Black!" Pink pounded their fist on the table. "They're the one who dragged in the body and put it where we _eat_!"

"If I were the murderer I wouldn't drag in my own kill!" Black protested.

"You could be using reverse psychology to trick us all!" White retorted, glaring at Black.

"I'm sorry I wanted to _warn_ you!" Black yelled back.

"Guys, guys," Orange finally spoke, clapping their hands together loudly. "We don't have enough evidence and baseless accusations aren't going to help us. I say, for now we need to stick together."

Green sighed and buried their head in their hands. Oh, please, no. Talking to the crew during meals was already the worst thing ever and now Green had to spend _more_ time with them?

"So we need to devise a buddy system," Orange continued, and Green felt dread pulling at the pit of their stomach. Oh, it _was_ happening. Never mind the aliens or whatnot, Green would be suffering death via social interaction.

"I volunteer to watch Black," said White with a glare, to which Black just sighed, leaned back in their seat, and crossed their arms.

"There's an uneven number now," Brown pointed out, fidgeting. "Could I come with you and someone else, Pink?"

"Sure. I'll pick Red," said Pink with a smile. Red gave them finger guns back, so Green assumed they were close friends. 

Green looked around the table then, realising there wasn't a single person they knew personally aside from suit colour. Not a single person they could call an acquaintance, even. They didn't even remember half this crew existed before now. 

This was getting from bad to worse.

"Me and you?" Cyan offered Orange. "I'd feel better travelling with you, captain."

"Good strategy! With our neon uniforms we'll make the impostor's eyes bleed before they can even get a hand on us," said Orange, nodding in approval. "Or claw. Or tentacle. Or -"

Green tuned their mindless chattering out, their eyes wide now as they gripped at the edges of the cafe table. Oh no, oh no, they hadn't even gotten a chance to pick the least insane one. Everyone had buddied up and now Green was stuck with the leftover. At least it hadn't been a group of three, one person to entertain was bad enough but two was just asking for Green to actually die. But wait, if there had been three then maybe they could entertain each other and Green could just wear their headphones or something and -

"Hello?"

Green let out a hoarse screech and jerked back upon realising Yellow was now sitting next to them. What the fuck, could they teleport? Were they an alien after all? Were they the impostor? No, that was stupid, even if Yellow could teleport there was no way they would do it in front of the crowd. Calm down, Green. Calm -

"I know we're all shocked right now, but are you taking this okay?" Yellow moved closer, their brow furrowed in worry. "You look really pale."

"I'm… doing just fine," Green muttered with a forced smile. "It's… it's great t-to meet you, Yellow."

"Uh, we've already met?" Yellow laughed. "Hello, recruit team meeting, remember? That time like, a week ago? We introduced ourselves then?"

"...right," said Green, sweating profusely now because oh god had they just offended Yellow they would die at their hands or claws or shut up Orange get out of these thoughts.

Yellow's smile didn't falter at all. "Actually, maybe you don't remember me, you know, because you're always off by yourself and all that! But don't worry, Green, from now on I'm gonna be the best buddy ever!"

"Y-yeah, same," Green said, trying to copy Yellow's smile. Because their own smile didn't look anything like a smile probably. It probably looked like one of those warnings bears gave you by snarling and all that. And despite everything, Green didn't want to scare Yellow off, really. They were nice and all, it was just that Green was intimidated by that very same aspect.

"Yay! Here's to our new friendship!" Yellow cheered, slinging their hand into Green's and swinging their arms up high. That was their _hand_ and Yellow was making contact. Yellow was going to kill them when they were alone, weren't they? No one was this friendly without some ulterior motive.

They were going to slice them up, snap their spine, and worst of all, engage them in conversation. Abort mission. Abort mission. Except they couldn't because Orange's orders. Fuck.

Green broke into a cold sweat, their heart thundering and their smile plastered on their face like horrible makeup.

Could Yellow just kill them already?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm happy you guys find Green relatable because so do I, haha

Green was in communications with their new… buddy, Yellow. Except what if they really were the impostor? Green's eyes kept sliding over to where Yellow stood. Yellow, who was telling a weird story about hotdogs and eating competitions and the terrible morning after. Green wanted absolutely nothing to do with this.

"And then I had a terrible stomachache all night long, and when I say all night long, I really do mean all night long," Yellow was complaining, not noticing Green inching further and further away from them. Too distracted by the computer monitor, Yellow continued, "I mean, come on, I couldn't even handle three hot dogs? That's so dumb! Everyone else could handle four at least! What do you think, Green? Is that ridiculous or what?"

They turned around, noticed that Green was outright pressing against the wall opposite Yellow, and asked, "Green?"

"Um, really great story. Yeah." Green said with an awkward smile while staring up at the ceiling. If it wasn't Yellow themself, maybe they could get themself killed another way. Maybe if they weren't looking, another impostor would come through the vents underneath them, and gut them where they stood before they had to utter another sentence.

No such luck, as Yellow was asking again, "What's wrong? Did you see something weird?"

"Stay back." Green surprised themself with the harshness of their own tone.

Yellow's boundless energy seemed to drain a little at that sentence. "Am… am I bothering you?"

No. Yes. No. Maybe. "When are you going to kill me?"

"Kill you?" Yellow seemed genuinely puzzled. "Green, I give you my word. I'm not the impostor."

"...yeah, I don't know about that," said Green, frowning and looking back at the computer sitting innocently on the table. Yellow was being far too friendly for their liking.

"Oh, oh, I get it. You just don't trust me yet." Yellow was suddenly in Green's personal space, and Green jerked back in shock. Their back smacked against the walls and Green winced at the pain shooting up their back. 

Green looked up, and gulped, their eyes widening. From this angle, Yellow had cornered them. They were almost certainly waiting to strike. The communications room was dimly lit here, and the way they towered above Green was downright demonic. This was the end. 

"We just need to do lots of friend things, so you can get to know me better and I can get to know you better too!" Yellow chirped happily. "Is your favorite color green, like, you know, because Green?"

"I… yeah, I guess?" Green was gaping. So maybe Yellow wasn't the impostor. Or maybe they were and were trying to use them as an alibi. Green still didn't trust Yellow yet. They were just being far too _nice_ for some reason. 

Come to think of it, every single time Green had been spoken to in headquarters prior to this was Yellow's doing. A small 'how are you?' here and there, a 'the food's real tasty, right?' every morning, and even 'hey, Green, you look great today!' said with a thumbs up and a smile.

Yellow was _so_ suspicious. No one else had bothered to talk to Green. Why had Yellow? Clearly they were trying to build rapport with the team.

Thankfully, if Yellow was the impostor, they weren't going to get anything from Green that easily. The iron wall they had placed up around them wouldn't break under the harshest of peer pressure.

Wait, Green had _just_ given Yellow personal information.

"I mean, no, I hate green," they said, sweating when Yellow just grinned instead. Demonic. Absolutely evil.

"You had a choice in suit colours," Yellow pointed out.

"My favorite was already taken," said Green, glaring at them now.

"What would that colour be, then?"

Green stopped. Foiled once again. Walked right into that trap. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Yellow truly was a master of manipulation. Green would do well not to underestimate them ever again.

"...lime?" Green tried, grinning awkwardly. Then they remembered there wasn't even a Lime in this tower and wanted to smack themself. They couldn't, though, because Yellow was still here and they were shaking their head and smiling. Smiling!

"You know that wasn't even taken!" Yellow said, amused. "Besides, lime's still a shade of green. Yellowish green, but still… green…" Suddenly, Yellow's eyes lit up. "Oh, Green! You're such a genius! This will be perfect for us both!"

"It will?" Green squeaked. Oh, what _now_? They hadn't meant to bond with Yellow! Now they were friends? Green wanted away. _Away_ from Yellow. 

How the hell had they even screwed this up?

"Oh, no no nope! No questions, Green. This will be a surprise!" With a wink, Yellow drew their index finger to their lips, making a soft 'shhh'. "I bet you'll love it!"

This was horrible. Yellow knew Green's favorite colour and they were going to do who knows what with that. Maybe use it to draw them into further conversations. Now that Yellow knew Green's interests and the like could be pried out of them, nothing they treasured was safe. Soon, the whole ship would know they loved gardening and their life would be _over_. Their hobbies and interests being common knowledge? An absolute nightmare. People knowing something about them was just a step closer to people _judging_ them, and plants never would.

Whoever this stupid impostor was (probably Yellow, they were scary as fuck), Green hated them so. Much. Stupid Orange. Stupid buddy system. Stupid headquarters. Was there no security in here?

Oh, right, it was Yellow, who looked to be about done with their tasks. They logged off and spun around in the office chair, smiling brightly at Green.

"Good work today, buddy! Let's go grab some dinner!" Yellow stood up, stretching their back. "Check your door tonight! I'll have a little something!" 

And then Yellow was slinging their arms together again, singing a song under their breath, swinging Green's arm in tandem with theirs. And Green felt way too warm in their suit thanks to this, their heart leaping into their throat and staying there for the eternity of their trip to the cafeteria. 

_Is Yellow… threatening me?_


	3. Chapter 3

Brown was found dead the next morning.

It was so early that light was still trickling in, casting Brown's corpse in a silver glow. Everyone was gathered outside Brown's bunk, chattering and chattering.

"I-I don't understand," Pink was stammering, "Why would anyone do this to them?"

"Brown was a good friend," Red muttered sadly. "They will be missed."

"Any leads on who it might be?" Orange asked. "Did anyone see anything?"

Green's door shot open. Their eyes looked bloodshot and a vein was twitching at the corner of their mouth. "It's Yellow!" they accused, striding over to them amidst the shocked gasps of everyone.

Yellow shrunk back, their doe eyes wide and their lithe frame trembling. "Green?" they asked softly. "Why would you think it was me?"

"I have proof you were sneaking around last night! And this? This is a declaration of war!" Green snapped, sticking their hand out to show the offending item to everyone. In their hands Green held a lime-coloured bracelet, weaved from threads, with little sequins and beads that spelled out 'BFF!'

Everyone looked at the bracelet, at Green, at Yellow, then back to Green. They all looked very confused. They were focusing on the wrong thing. This was obvious evidence!

"Green, that is a _friendship_ bracelet," Cyan finally spoke up, tilting their head, because apparently that was more important than finding the impostor. "Yellow made it themself, you know?"

"Yes! So they were definitely sneaking around last night!" Green exclaimed, pointing angrily at Yellow, who was now curled into a ball on the ground and flinching away from Green. "They said, 'check your door at night'! I did! I open it and see _this_ outside my door! And this morning, Brown's dead?!"

"But did you see Brown's dead body when you opened your door?" Orange asked mildly.

"Of course I… didn't," Green realised. 

"So how do we know it's not you, then?" Orange challenged.

"...yeah okay, good point. I don't have much of an alibi, but if you just give me a chance to clear my name, I promise I will." Green deflated a bit then drew themself back up to their full height. "But when I do, I didn't see anyone else sneaking around either, so trust me when I say it must be Yellow!"

"Yeah, no," said Orange, amused.

"Yeah, we all saw Yellow go back into their room and fall asleep," Red piped up from the ground. "And they snore really loudly too, so we all know they didn't leave during the night."

"Red!" Yellow protested, their face positively crimson at this point.

"Oh shit, Yellow, I'm sorry," Red said quickly, glancing at Green briefly before it was back to Yellow.

Green groaned, burying their head in their hands for what seemed like the umpteenth time since they had buddied up with Yellow. "Okay, so I'm expected to believe that _all_ of you were outside at midnight when I didn't see a trace of anyone but Yellow? That's even more suspicious!"

Everyone was exchanging looks again. Except for Yellow, who had drawn their knees to their chest. Green felt their head throb. Was this what it was like to be assimilated in the crew? Gaining mind reading powers to have silent psychic conversations? Oh sure, leave Green out of the loop when it was actually important and force them to participate in lunchtime bonding!

"Uh, we were all in Yellow's room," Pink said finally. They shot Yellow a meaningful look, to which they blushed and looked away. "We left around 3am, though."

"Yeah, we were… having a party," said Red begrudgingly. "Fun and games and ice cream."

"Oh. Um, yeah, we know you hate that kinda stuff, so we didn't bother to invite you." Then Black winced. "Oh, shit, I didn't mean -"

"You were taking that into consideration?" Green interrupted, clasping their hands together and breaking into a smile. "I… I don't know what to say, guys… I'm so touched. Thank you."

"Well, I, uh… if it makes you happy," Black responded, genuinely confused.

"It does! It's just the break I needed! It's just… this buddy system's really been stressing me out, you know?" Green said with a sigh. "It's been nice to have some time all to myself at night."

"You know, I doubt Green's the impostor," Pink chimed in. "They'd never kill anyone if it meant _working_ with someone."

"For the record, I don't think it's Green, either," Orange replied. "After Yellow came running back, everyone also saw you walk back into your room. And you were kinda… screaming into your pillow, I think that's what it sounded like. It was a pretty long time, too."

"Then why were you accusing me?" Green demanded, glaring at the floor now and ignoring the blush creeping up their neck. Had they honestly been that loud? Hell, they hadn't realised the other crewmates could hear that! This was so embarrassing. Green wanted to die. After this whole ordeal was over Green would personally crash themself on a deserted island for a year.

Orange shrugged with an apologetic smile, chasing Green away from their own spiraling thoughts. "It's just kinda funny watching you have any other emotion than stoic," said Orange teasingly.

Green gulped and drew a deep breath, because they just realised what they had done. The crew was getting to _know_ them. How much of their soul had they bared today? Anger, fear, embarrassment… and this was all because of that friendship bracelet Yellow had made. Green looked down at the offending item and clenched their fists. 

How did this happen? Hadn't they told themself the less others knew about them the better? That way lay untold stress. People were so unpredictable. They could turn on you at any time, as proven now. A friendship bracelet? In these headquarters? Green didn't know if they could trust anyone, especially not with an impostor running around. It seemed trite, laughable even.

"So," Green said finally, looking up to meet everyone's gazes, "no evidence?"

"Yeah, let's skip," White agreed.

"Someone who, uh, partied with us last night is a murderer," Cyan said quietly.

"We'll proceed with our current groups without Brown," Orange commanded.

"We'll send Brown's body off for a proper burial," Pink said sadly, lifting it up along with Red.

Everyone trailed off to do their respective tasks. Green turned to look down at Yellow, who was still awkwardly sitting on the ground. They seemed to feel Green's eyes on them, as they started before scrambling upright. They pouted as a little frown crossed their face and they dusted their suit off.

Oh god, Green was all alone with Yellow. Again. How did this keep happening? Green fidgeted, planting their hands firmly in their suit pockets.

"Green," said Yellow seriously, and this time Green was backing away from them, cowering and holding up their arms.

"I'll keep your secret, I promise," Green begged.

"Again, I'm not the impostor," Yellow said with a sigh. "But was my talking really annoying you that much?"

Green wanted to say yes, but honestly that probably wasn't even Yellow's fault, impostor or not, and that would be far too mean. Besides, having an enemy was even more stressful than having a friend. So, Green shook their head. "I mean, you can talk if you want," Green added hastily for good measure. "It's… it's fine."

Yellow regarded them for a moment longer before their eyes softened and they leaned down so they were at eye level with each other. "You know you can tell me, right? I won't be mad at you if that's really what you think. We can work around it. You don't really owe me your time, you know?" They took a deep breath then, glancing away. "If that's what you want, I'll accept it."

Was this chatterbox extending an olive branch to Green? Actually, out of all the nice things Yellow had done, this was probably the nicest. This was surprisingly considerate. Maybe… maybe Yellow genuinely wanted to be friends.

But that didn't seem fair to Yellow, somehow. If there was one thing Green knew about Yellow, it was that they loved to share their joy and laughter with everyone around them. Asking them to bottle it up seemed a little too selfish, if you asked Green. And Yellow seemed… upset, even…

Green was going to have to make that decision, weren't they?

"Um, you don't have to like, completely stop or anything," Green finally said, crossing their arms, staring at the floor. "It's… it's bearable. I just… get overwhelmed when you launch into a whole paragraph. Is… is that okay?"

"...yeah! Yeah, of course it's okay," Yellow said, smiling again as they placed their hands behind their back. "I won't be mad at you for something like this, Green. I get you have your limits. You can tell me when it's getting too much and I'll try to stop."

"...thank you," Green said with a genuine smile. 

Yellow smiled back, their face reddening a little, before they coughed and drew away. Their gait was a little unsteady. "Come on now, let's get to the laboratory," Yellow called over their shoulder.

Well, maybe Green didn't need to put so much distance between them after all. Maybe they'd follow at half a meter instead of the usual meter they had stuck to since yesterday. And so Green did, trying not to huddle in on themself, focusing on not losing sight of the yellow suit in front of them. And Yellow for once wasn't questioning this decision of theirs.

Perhaps Green could actually make it out of this unorthodox partnership. _Alive._


	4. Chapter 4

The familiar atmosphere of the laboratory was a soothing balm to Green, who wanted nothing more than to fully immerse themself in their tasks. As a perk, this gave them a convenient excuse not to speak to Yellow.

Though, it looked as though Yellow intended to honor their words. Yellow was sitting in the corner, crossing their legs, staring at Green's hands as they sorted their samples. As Green put on some safety goggles and added some reactants to a test tube, Yellow switched to staring at Green instead. Which was not ideal, but Green supposed they couldn't have everything. Ignoring the pinpricks of discomfort littering their skin, Green tried their best to focus their attention on the samples.

Yellow stood up and started pacing around the lab, snapping their fingers to some unheard rhythm. They finally came to a stop at the entrance to decontamination. They stared outside for a grand total of twenty seconds before they were on the move again. Green buried their face into their hands.

Okay, someone was taking their job as rookie security guard far too seriously. 

"Yellow," Green called, then gulped as they realised they had actually started a conversation on their own. But at this point Yellow was looking at them and it was too late to back out. Ignoring the sweat gathering on the back of their neck, Green continued, wincing at the loudness of their own voice, "Uh, you… you wanna chat? About… about what's been going on?"

"...oh." Yellow sat back down with a little frown on their face. Green breathed a sigh of relief as Yellow chattered on. "Yeah, I don't know… I mean, I've known all of you for two weeks at most, but I really thought we were all becoming friends. It just felt right at home… but now Brown’s dead, and Blue was gone yesterday…” Then Yellow looked back up at Green’s startled expression. “Sorry, I’m rambling again, huh. Just an old habit of mine.” They chuckled uneasily.

“No, no, go on.” It didn’t seem right to ask Yellow to keep this all bottled up. Green was a terrible conversationalist, but perhaps they could hear Yellow out. They knew Yellow had been closer to the crew than Green had ever been, and Yellow must be feeling much more horribly than Green was about their deaths. In a way, it would be kind of like when Green was alone in HQ’s garden, with nothing but the plants and their own thoughts for the company. Perhaps Yellow needed something like that.

Yellow gave Green a small smile. “You know, yesterday, when talking to the others, they were discussing quitting their jobs. Orange gave us the go ahead, of course. I know Cyan, Pink and Red are probably handing in their resignations soon, but it’ll still take a while for the drop ship to come collect us. What about you, Green?”

Green stared at the forming precipitate in the lab test tube. “I’ve thought about it, but you know how long those take to dispatch, and who knows if we’ll still be alive at all then.”

“That’s why we have to catch the impostor!” Yellow insisted. “I’m not going to resign. I’m going to stay here with Orange and the others and we’ll find whoever it is that killed Blue and Brown.”

Green stared back at Yellow. “You’re, uh, pretty set on this, aren’t you?” Then they winced, because was that an appropriate response at all?

Apparently so, since Yellow just shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m security,” Yellow reminded Green, rubbing at their badge absentmindedly. “I can’t just quit and run away. I don’t blame the others, but this is what I’ve trained for my whole life. If I don’t protect the crew, who will?”

Okay, so Yellow wasn’t just pretending to be a guard - they fully intended to go down fighting if it meant everyone else was safe. Green lowered their gaze then, wringing their hands together. A fleeting feeling surged in their chest before it was gone too quickly for Green to name. _Take another solution and add it to the test tube containing a precipitate._ It felt almost mechanical now. 

“And why are you telling me all of this?” Green finally asked after enough time had passed to make it awkward, just because the universe hated Green. Watching the reaction proceed to hopefully seem like it was because they had been lost in thought studying the test tube, Green continued, “You believe me that much? I’ve done nothing to prove myself trustworthy.”

“You’ve done nothing suspicious either,” said Yellow with a shrug.

“I’m always off by myself,” Green said quietly. “I can’t talk to you or the others properly. I never know what’s going on.”

Yellow laughed then, but it wasn’t mocking at all. “That’s just you, Green. I thought you were all emo and lonery at first, but the more I talk to you, the more I realise you’re just a sweetheart. There’s nothing wrong with being more quiet. Although, I guess, if you ever want to participate in group activities, I’d be happy to introduce you.”

“Maybe not for now,” Green said with a shake of their head. “Got impostor catching stuff to do, don’t you?”

“Mm hmm!” Yellow grinned and struck a pose, placing a hand over the badge on their chest. “And I know I can do it.”

“You’re that sure of yourself?” Green asked, this time with a faint trace of amusement lining their words.

“Well, yeah.” Yellow leaned back against the wall in their seat and gave Green a smile. “I got _you_ to open up to me.”

Green tried not to jerk back in surprise. Because, if they were thinking about it properly, Yellow had a real knack for doing that, to be honest. This wasn’t even their first conversation, yet countless others had only succeeded in getting a few nods or shakes of Green’s head. Hell, Green was carrying around Yellow’s bracelet in their pocket because they were too afraid of losing it. Only because it would make Yellow sad if they had, and then they might get the bright idea to make another one and cause Green yet more trauma.

Not sure what to say to Yellow, Green simply gave a shaky thumbs up.

Green probably had accidentally summoned the gods of awkwardness or something in that moment, because everything went _dark_. Green blinked, shaking their head. In the near distance, they heard Yellow let out a small yelp. There was a loud clink and the sounds of Yellow falling over something.

“Yellow, are you okay?” Green knew their way around the lab, but Yellow didn’t. Stepping carefully over where they knew the burette rack was, Green made their way towards where they had last heard Yellow. 

“I’m fine,” Yellow was saying, a little too breathlessly for Green’s liking. Great, they had probably cut themself on something. Green tried to feel out a wound, or anything, but Yellow swatted their hand away.

“We need to go to the med bay,” Green said, still trying to work out what on earth they were even touching. Oh god, please let it be a socially acceptable place. 

And since when had they even cared about Yellow? The same person who had repeatedly given Green multiple panic attacks?

To be fair, Yellow was now (possibly) responsible for breaking lab equipment, so this was a perfectly reasonable reaction for Green to have.

It was strange, but in the darkness, Green felt more in control. So they couldn’t see Yellow and they couldn’t see them. Perfect. Peace. “You’re hurt, I can tell,” Green said, finally locating Yellow’s arm and helping them to stand upright.

“I… I guess so,” Yellow said sheepishly. “But we should probably head to electrical and turn the power back on, right?”

Green coughed, flushing. “Y-yeah, you’re right.”

“I can’t see anything in here. I guess you’re the boss, Green!” At that moment, Yellow slipped what felt like their hand into Green’s gloved one. Their soiled, dirty gloved one. Oh fuck, they were holding Yellow's hand. Why did this have to happen? Now Yellow would totally think they were a disgusting pig and -

“Guide me?” Yellow whispered, giving Green’s hand a little squeeze. And for whatever reason, that made warmth blossom in Green’s chest. Green was a lab tech, not a researcher. This was absolutely out of their area of expertise. Why did things like this keep happening to Green?

So, with a resigned sigh, Green pushed away their whirling thoughts and led Yellow through the maze of scientific equipment. The rush of cool air in decontamination was a relief to the heat suddenly building in Green’s body.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for all your kudos and comments!

Green was starting to regret this entire operation as Yellow took over and led them down the hallways. Hand in hand. Dear lord, Green had no idea if this was even appropriate. Were they gripping too tightly? Were they not gripping tightly _enough_ and probably sending a message that they hated this, hence offending Yellow?

Green absolutely hated this impostor situation. Now they actually had to think about things and suffer in silence. At least they didn't have to make eye contact in this limited field of vision.

"Where are we?" Yellow mused to themself, seemingly oblivious to the steam emanating off Green in waves. It sounded like they were hitting something. "Here's the door…" They moved to their right and Green had no choice but to follow. "This is communications, we're next to medbay."

"You want to, uh, I don't know, grab a plaster or something?" Green asked, reaching up to rub the back of their neck.

"I should be fine, it doesn't feel very deep, probably a small scratch," Yellow replied. "Besides, I can't even tell what I'm looking at in this dim light."

"Where's everyone else?" Green wondered aloud as Yellow guided them down the hallways again.

"Probably at electrical?"

Green cringed, because why did they have to go and do that. They knew. Yellow knew. It was obvious. "Uh… yeah, makes sense." Green hated blackouts now. It was giving them the weird need to ramble on.

In that moment, both Green and Yellow found their footsteps blocked by something strangely solid in the hallways. Yellow almost stumbled over, but Green pulled them back. Green's pulse quickened the instant they smelled blood - lots and lots of it, unlike Yellow's small wound.

Oh fuck, oh fuck, someone had died _again_.

"Is it just one?" Yellow whispered urgently, inching carefully around the body with Green. "I can't see or feel another body."

"It _is_ just one," Green slowly realised, horror dawning on them. 

"We can't even tell who did it because of all this confusion," Yellow sounded distressed. "So even sticking together won't work in the long run."

"Who is it? That might help narrow it down."

"I wish I brought a flashlight," Yellow sighed. "Oh well, learned my lesson I guess. Hang on, let me…" Still not letting go of Green, they felt Yellow step forward and move to the left and right of the walls periodically. Green was about to question them before the small screen of a download panel flashed to life and they realised what Yellow had been looking for.

The panel's light was faintly tinted blue, but from what Green could tell, the shoes of the uniform the unlucky crewmate was wearing weren't changing to a completely different colour. That meant -

"These are Cyan's headphones," said Yellow, holding up a cracked pair. "I knew they worked in admin and communications. We… we trained together."

"That means… is it… Orange?" Green asked aloud, their voice coming out hoarse, their throat suddenly dry.

"They suggested this whole buddy system in the first place. I don't want to believe it," said Yellow, sounding more upset now.

"I don't want to, either." Grievances aside, Orange did seem genuinely trustworthy, like they cared about their crew, even if Green had honestly given them no reason to do so.

"Maybe we forget about the lights and let the others handle it," Yellow suggested gently. "We stay here so we can report it. We should avoid coming from the direction of the body. I don't want them to think we're the ones responsible." Green felt Yellow's other hand on their tense left shoulder. Despite themself, they didn't pull away and relaxed into the touch. Green took a deep breath and let out a shuddering sigh.

This was fine. It wasn't so bad. They would stay here together and Green would be fine because Yellow wasn't trying to speak for once. They seemed off in their own thoughts, probably analysing Cyan's murder. Maybe that was part of their job as security. Would that be rude to ask?

 _Hold on now, since when did you feel the urge to initiate so often?_ Green scolded themself silently. _Come on, you know what will happen if you do. Yellow will say something you don't know how to respond to and then something crappy like this will happen again._

But well, it was almost as awkward when Green was standing there with their hand still in Yellow's and _nothing_ was being said and Green was starting to not be calm being unable to see Yellow's expressions because they didn't even have a _hint_ of what Yellow was thinking right now and it was almost as terrible -

Green had to cover their eyes with their free hand as all the lights switched back on in orderly rows. Blinking to adjust to the light, Green muttered a few choice curses under their breath. They slowly removed their hand as they heard multiple footsteps approaching down the hallway.

Yellow's voice was unusually stern. "We know it was one of you." Their expression was one of tranquil fury, seemingly calm but with an ominous aura to it.

The group consisted of everyone else - Orange, White, Black, Pink and Red. Each of them took turns staring between their companions and the dead body of Cyan before White turned to Orange and accused, "How dare you!"

"Pink, Red, you know I was with you," Orange pleaded. "So was Cyan. We all said something, you heard us, didn't you? We all went to fix the lights together!"

"Yeah… that's true. It wasn't any of us who turned the lights off either. This reeks of sabotage." Pink turned to Red then with a questioning glance.

"I don't believe the captain would have done this!" Red protested. "What about you, White and Black? You were late joining up with us!"

"You know we came from storage, this is the hallway near communications!" Black protested.

"Maybe one of you snuck away from the other! It wouldn't be hard in this y-intersection!" Red said, pointing at Black with a glare. "And I bet it's you! I haven't forgotten that cafe incident."

"I show people a body once and everyone thinks it's me," Black groaned.

"You're, uh." Orange coughed. "Not helping your case there, Black."

"How do we know it's not Green and Yellow working together?" White argued, pointing at the two. Green jerked back at that accusation. Yellow squeezed Green's hand as they broke into a full on glare. White actually took a step back at that.

"Didn't we have this discussion just today?" Pink sighed. "Aren't they already cleared?"

"The evidence was kind of flimsy, it wasn't at all concrete," White pointed out. "I say we at least put them on our suspicious list."

"I really don't believe it's them," Orange said, glancing between Green and Yellow. Green shrunk at the attention as Orange continued, "Yellow's justice-minded, and Green… is Green."

Green wanted to protest that statement, but Orange had strode past them to check Cyan's mutilated corpse. "But I guess you're in luck, Green," said Orange, glancing up at them with a watery smile. "This buddy idea… I don't think it's working out at all. Whoever the impostor is, they know how to bypass it. And splitting up will make doing tasks more efficient, so… you don't have to stick together as one pair anymore."

"You're forcing us to split up?" Red asked incredulously.

"No, I'm not. I completely understand why you might not want to. For example, Red, you can come with me, or you can go alone." Orange turned back to Cyan's body, tracing the curve of their broken headphones. "It just… it doesn't seem to matter anymore, whatever we do..."

"We'll find them, captain," Yellow said with determination, leaning down to pet Orange on their shoulder. Then, they looked back up at Green, a question in their gaze.

_Do you really want me to leave you alone?_

Green hesitated then, but as for why, they didn't know. They wanted this, didn't they? From the first day they had been straining to get away from Yellow and their scary cheerfulness. This was a golden opportunity if they said so themself. 

But Yellow seemed just ever so slightly hurt by this, their brows furrowed and eyes dropping to the ground. Yet, Yellow had also asked Green to be honest with them. Surely it was worse to force themself to hang around Yellow when they didn't _want_ to? Surely Yellow could tell they didn't want to? Surely?

So… a compromise. Green was getting better and better at making these just for Yellow.

"I'll go back to the lab, and you can check the door logs for suspicious activity," Green finally said, bending down so they were at eye level with Yellow. "And I'll catch you at lunch. Okay?"

However terrible they were at talking to others, Green wasn't socially unaware enough to miss that brief flash of _hurt_ that crossed Yellow's face. They quickly shook it off and gave them a smile, though. "Yeah, I'll see you then."

"I…" Green's face fell. They wanted to take it back now. They wanted to continue working alongside Yellow. But _why?_ Green hated that, right? They should have been glad Yellow let them go that easily. And yet...

"I'll accompany you, Yellow. Come on, let's go to medbay and check your wound," Pink piped up, joining them on the floor beside Orange.

"And me!" Red added, flopping down beside Pink. "Orange, you're coming with Yellow too, right?"

"Of course. I've been meaning to check in with my security guard," Orange said. Their laugh seemed forced, though, and they were staring at Green, not Yellow.

Come to think of it, everyone besides Yellow was staring at Green, with varying degrees of intensity. Red and Pink seemed genuinely annoyed, but why? Orange and Black were giving Green sympathetic looks. Meanwhile, White looked rather amused by the whole situation. Yellow was looking at their feet, still in that awkward bent pose.

This was getting to be too much. Having that many people with eyes on them was making sweat trail down Green's back. "I-I'll see you later," Green stammered, backing away, realising they were heading in the wrong direction, then finally turning to their right and running away as fast as possible from the scene.

Green just had to hide somewhere, _anywhere_ , away from this judging crowd.


	6. Chapter 6

_It's great to be left alone again,_ Green had told themself firmly in the hours that followed after the dissolution of the buddy system. _There's no one left to disturb this peace and quiet._

Yet, what had served as an annoyance just days ago seemed to form into an unbearable, oppressive silence. 

Green had sat next to Yellow as promised at lunch then, but they were a lot less talkative than usual. It wasn't just because of Green, surely? So many crew members dying would also have taken their toll on anyone's psyche. Green had given up engaging Yellow in small talk after a while, given both parties were unwilling. The catered food had tasted even worse than usual with everyone else staring at Green.

 _We're still friends, aren't we?_ Green had asked themself on the balcony at twilight, then chided themself for caring that much about Yellow's opinion. Green was overthinking this as always, of course.

They hadn't said anything. They certainly weren't mad. They still waved with a small smile as they crossed each other in the hallways. The difference being Yellow was now always with someone else: Pink, Red, Orange, always. It had really put Green off asking to work together again -

 _When the hell did I care who Yellow works with?_ Green thought to themself furiously in bed that night, staring at the dark ceiling and counting the spins of the rotating ceiling fan. _It's okay. Maybe Yellow just needs some space right now. I get that._

The second day. Another day of awkward glimpses of each other and terrible judgy looks at every. Single. Damn. Meal. It was starting to drive Green insane.

Not only because Yellow was acting distant, but because Pink was being rather snippy with Green, and Red seemed so disapproving of them for some reason. Orange was trying their best to hint to Green in a nice fashion to work things out with Yellow. And Black and White just stood by giving Green sympathetic glances.

This was horrible. The constant attention of _everyone_ on Green was the absolute _worst_. This was all because Green had gone and befriended Yellow, except not really because it would be unfair to pin the blame on them when Green had fucked up somehow. And yet Yellow didn't seem willing to want Green to fix it. 

Green was at their wit's end. It was horrible, equal parts discomfort and fear and anxiety all mixing together in one big storm cloud. Was there some sort of… social management class for individuals Green could take? Some way for Green to make it all better?

Guess not.

No one was dying, Green noticed at dinner that night. Everyone else was still accounted for ever since Orange had lifted the buddy system restriction. No doubt even the impostor had taken a momentary rest to laugh at their misery.

On the third day of pure awkwardness, Green was forced to admit to themself - Yellow's rejection was really starting to sting. It didn't really make sense how quickly Green had grown used to, even _attached_ to Yellow's presence in that short amount of time. Before that, Green hadn't even _noticed_ the security guard. Yet, it hadn't taken long for Yellow to truly make an impression on Green. An exceedingly difficult task, Green grudgingly admitted to themself, but Yellow had managed it.

But now Yellow still kept their encounters to polite small talk every time Green not-so-accidentally ran into them in the hallways. Didn't matter what time of the day it was, didn't matter how free Yellow's schedule was, they were somehow always preoccupied now. Yellow was really avoiding them, it seemed.

Now, Green let out a sigh as they tapped into the lab, the doors sliding closed behind them as they stepped inside. Green set down their clipboard on the table, bending down to open the drawers full of conical flasks and measuring cylinders. Today, they had to analyse more samples of this strange crystalline substance. The precipitate had formed last night decently as Green checked it over in the petri dish. 

Lab work was good, relaxing, and peaceful. And with no Yellow around to tell stupid stories about hot dogs and all that crap Green would get way more work done.

Green groaned out loud. They were doing the thing again. They were getting distracted and trying desperately to justify the entire situation to themself. Green was completely out of their depth here. Yellow had been their closest friend in the headquarters, which was honestly pretty sad given that Green found themself wanting to talk about their feelings on the Yellow problem… _to_ Yellow.

"This is the worst," Green muttered to themself, letting out an even more exaggerated sigh as they smacked their forehead.

"Oh, it's about to get a whole lot worse."

In that moment, Green felt their heart drop as the vent behind them opened in a sudden blur of motion. Their scream was stopped dead in its tracks as a tentacle arm _thing_ shot out and pinned Green to the wall, claws gripping their throat. Green struggled to rip off the bruising force from around their neck, the air rapidly being crushed out of their lungs even as the impostor _giggled_ in a faint, echo-ey voice. Green tried their best to look up, to at least see who their killer was. In the dim light, the tentacles appeared gray-ish in colour… White? Was this White?

 _Alien was right,_ Green thought, their mind going haywire and failing to make absolutely any more sense. Their pulse was rushing and their fear was spiking, sweat on their palms making their attempts at undoing White's chokehold even less effective. There was absolutely no way this thing was an earthly creature. White's malevolent multi-eyed gaze stared them down. They towered above Green, tentacles strewn about and a second jaw gaping wide open at the seams.

"Oh, you have no idea how long I've been waiting for Yellow to stop following you around everywhere," White said with a gurgle, saliva dripping out of their mouth lined with rows of sharp teeth. "You were the easiest target, but that little shit put a wrench in my plans."

Green struggled to speak, and all they could manage was a little "mm" that sounded vaguely questioning.

White seemed genuinely surprised at that, their face-jaw clamping shut before they opened it again to let out a hysterical _howl_. "Are you kidding me? You're a scientist, aren't you supposed to be an observant bunch? Did you really not notice the _blatant crush_ Yellow has had on you since you first met?"

 _The what,_ Green thought, mind going absolutely blank, either with confusion or the suffocation. Both. Probably both. Somehow Green found themself in immediate danger of dying but all they could focus on at the moment was, _Yellow_ likes _me?_

"Wow, you're dumber than I thought," White cackled. "If I had known, this would have been much easier. It's been an absolute _hell_ trying to seperate the two of you. I knew you'd run off and hide somewhere the instant you got the chance."

Green felt themself being lifted up higher. They had given up the struggle, resigned to being strangled to death by this horrifying creature. Or maybe they were about to be eaten. That was fine, too. Green wouldn't feel it, anyway. Their vision was blurring at the edges and their head was starting to swim. Their eyes closed and they felt themself grow slack in the monster's grasp.

There was a faint sound of something ricocheting and suddenly Green realised they could take a breath again. They crashed to the ground on their knees, forgetting to roll over to avoid the damage. It was all they could do to cower on the ground on their arms and legs, panting for breath.

There was unholy roaring coming from just beside them, and then Green's mind finally identified the other sound as a gun being loaded and fired. Green recovered just in time to look up and see the giant creature topple over on its side, seven puncture wounds clearly visible through its eyes, head, and neck. Green scrabbled away as far as they could instantly, the beast's tentacles sweeping over the laboratory table's contents such that glass shards were swiftly littering the floor.

A safe enough distance away, Green finally dared to look towards the door.

Yellow was still in a defensive stance, clutching their gun and looking absolutely stricken. Orange had one hand hovering over their belt, ready to draw out their receiver.

No one moved or spoke for a solid few moments before Yellow's arms finally dropped to their sides. Their right hand remained clenched around the handle of the gun. "I… I didn't trust you to be a-alone in here," Yellow finally explained, stammering. "I've been… we've been… keeping an eye on you, through this." Yellow pointed behind them at the diamond-shaped window installed on the decontamination doors. "We… we were making the rounds, a-and we saw you -"

"I… I've never seen anything like _that_ before," Orange said quietly, shock still written all over their face. They moved a few steps closer to White, before their trembling legs apparently stopped them from proceeding further. Orange chose instead to radio the remaining crew, asking, "Crew. Check in, please. Immediately."

"Pink here," chirped the familiar voice. "I'm with Red at the balcony."

"Black checking in at the greenhouse," Black piped up. "White, come on, you gotta… White? _White?_ "

Orange took a deep breath. "We've found the impostor. It was White. T-they… tried to _eat_ Green. Yellow neutralised the threat."

"No way! Is Green there?" It was Red this time. "Hey, are you okay, Green? I'm so so _so_ sorry! I mean, I know we've been annoyed at you lately but we didn't want you to _die_ , Green!"

"I'm passing the receiver over to Green," Orange replied. They gulped audibly as they moved closer to the alien's corpse, handing it over as fast as possible to Green. They dropped down beside them, their stance wary as they stared at White, as if expecting the alien to revive itself any time soon. Given that they knew absolutely nothing about White's species, it was probably a valid precaution.

"I'm okay," Green croaked out, their voice still hoarse and their throat still throbbing in a dull pain. "Thanks."

"Green, I'm so sorry, please forgive me," Black pleaded. "If I had known, I'd have kept a better eye on White. I don't know how they slipped away from me! I've just been watering plants this whole time, I-I never stopped to think to check…"

"Vents," Green said weakly. "It's 'kay. No one's fault."

"Green, you don't sound too good," Pink said worriedly this time. "Like, even for you, you're not talking much."

"White also nearly strangled Green to death before we arrived." Green started as Yellow kneeled down beside them as well. "I think they need immediate medical attention. I'm not sure if it was enough to deal long-term damage."

"Maybe," Green said uncertainly. A list of symptoms was already running through their mind, none of which looked good. Maybe they shouldn't have wished for death after all. 

"Yeah, yeah, you got it, I'm the medic, I'll be right over. Help Green to medbay," Red said hurriedly. There was an audible click as the receiver disconnected.

"You'll be okay," said Yellow determinedly, placing their hands gently on Green's shoulders, and it was all Green could do to lean into the warmth and close their eyes. Drifting off, Green realised Yellow's company brought them a sense of peace nothing else could currently rival.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have updated the tags for this one. I think it's going to get darker, kinda, maybe


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A warning: though nothing really happens, this chapter deals with talking about the consequences of real-life strangulation. It might be a little disturbing.

Green knew something was up.

They had came to a few moments earlier, coughing weakly and making tremendous effort to open their heavy eyelids.

Red seemed to have noticed this, as Green heard footsteps approaching and then a gentle voice ask, "Green, are you awake? Can you hear me?"

Green tried to speak, only succeeding in a short, breathy "yeah," but Red managed to hear them all the same, as they breathed a sigh of relief. Green's vision came into focus gradually, and they could see Red holding a clipboard and a pen, sitting on a tall stool beside the hospital bed Green was on. They flexed their fingers, and realised they were being connected to a heart monitor to their left.

"The fact you regained consciousness is a good sign," said Red, their voice deliberately neutral now, "but it would be against my code to omit information about your condition."

Yes, something was definitely up.

"Tell me," Green said quietly, though they sounded more sure than they felt. Best to get this over, right? Their heart rate was speeding up again and Green was starting to detect a faint throbbing in their head.

"I'm sorry. The strangulation resulted in fluid buildup in your lungs, bleeding and swelling on the inside of your neck, and blood clots in your brain. The main problem is the death of your brain cells... with White cutting off your oxygen supply for that long, there's nothing I can do to reverse the damage." Red paused then, glanced down at the floor, took a deep breath, and looked Green in the eye once again. "You, ah, you might not survive. And even if you do… you'll have to suffer the long-term repercussions."

"Such as?" Green asked, having expected the bleak news but still taken aback. Their hands clutched the blankets they were lying under, heartbeat thundering in their ears.

Red had a look of dread on their face, mirroring Green's fears. "It's too early to tell how you'll progress, but I can tell you the potential problems you'll experience. Respiratory side of things - asthma, pneumonia. Neurologically - you might experience impairment in your memory and concentration, as well as frequent migraines. At the worst, dementia might set in. The rest - you have a far increased risk of a heart attack or a stroke now."

"And all that's if I _don't_ die?" Their voice was stronger now, albeit still hoarse. Green let a little incredulity slip into their tone.

"Yes…" Red fidgeted. As much as Green wanted to take out their anger and uncertainty on someone, Green could tell Red was not enjoying having to break the news to them. 

"What's the chances of me living?" Green finally asked with a sigh. They settled back against the sheets and closed their eyes.

"You're only 25 years old. You could make it," said Red, unsure. "It's hard to predict exactly, but… a medium chance?"

"Like, half?"

"Yeah. The immediate danger zone is this week, but symptoms may kick in months later. But since I got to you soon enough, the chances of death after this week's up is much lower."

Green pursed their lips at that, opening their eyes again. "To be honest, Red, I don't know if I _want_ to live with all that. As in, I'm terrified right now. I'm terrified I'll go to sleep and then I'll wake up and I'm just a _ghost_ but…" Green took a deep breath, or at least tried to. Their lung capacity seemed to have been done in by White. "but everything else you described seems so... daunting."

"Well… it's not an absolute guarantee you'll get _all_ of those, though I won't tell you what you can or can't feel." Red gave Green a tired smile. "But my first duty is saving my patient. Will you let me?"

"I do want to live," Green said, their voice small. "But not like… like that. I don't know if I can live with one foot in the grave."

Red was silent for a long while after Green's admission. "I don't know what it must be like to be in your position," they finally confessed. "After what happened with the impostor, then be told all of this? I'm surprised you aren't screaming at me already."

"What good would that do?" Green muttered, defeated. "I'm so tired…"

"Then rest." Red's voice reverted back to its gentle, soothing tone.

"I'm afraid I won't wake up again," Green said, their eyes descending to the small tracker that was attached to their ring finger. Their heart rate had slowed now, though Green still felt prickly and tense all over. "Please, the others? Yellow?"

"They're all outside." Red gave Green a nod of understanding before they stood up, opening the med bay doors to usher them inside.

Except it was only Yellow Red returned with.

"One visitor at a time for now," Red explained, pushing Yellow forward to the stool they had previously been sitting on. "We don't want to overwhelm Green. And that's why I'll be off now, too." Red gave a mock salute and turned in the direction of the door.

"Wait!" Yellow cried out. "What if something happens when you're not here?"

"Call for me," said Red stubbornly. "I'll be right outside." They looked Green directly in the eyes just before they left. 

Oh. So Red wanted to give them some privacy. That was nice. Except now they were staring at each other and Green didn't know what to say.

Silence permeated through the area now, and if Green was a terrible speaker under normal circumstances they weren't going to suddenly develop social skills now. So it was that Green found themself opening their mouth and blurting out, "Uh, Yellow, just wanted you to know, like, just because I'm dying doesn't mean you have to forgive me."

Yellow stared at Green blankly for a few moments before they were cupping their own face and saying, "You're _dying_?" in such a plaintive tone that Green felt their own heart wrench.

"Doctor says I have a week, maybe. Survive that and… it's not pretty." Green dropped their gaze then. "I'm sorry," they said, though they didn't know what for.

Wrong thing to say. Yellow's eyes were welling up in tears now and they had started sniffing. Green inexplicably found themself picking up the tissues on the stand beside them and presenting the entire box to Yellow. They were the patient, and yet…

"I should be the one that's sorry," said Yellow amidst their sniffing, accepting Green's offering nonetheless. "If I had been with you… I-I've just been… a-avoiding you…"

"It must have been because I did something wrong, right?" Green asked as gently as they could, propping themself up on the bed with some effort. "That's why you were upset."

"I don't think you really did anything wrong, Green," said Yellow, their voice muffled from the tissues. "The truth is… I've liked you all this time. I wanted to be your buddy at first to get to know you better. Then I thought we really were getting closer, but then Orange said no more buddies and you just… left."

Green found themself at a loss for words for a few seconds. Their heartbeat was increasing for a completely different reason now. "So I wasn't hallucinating what White said to me," they finally said.

"...huh?" A brief expression of confusion crossed Yellow's face.

"They said…" Green felt their skin become more heated at the memory. "You had a crush on me since we first met."

"White said that to you?" Yellow looked away, mortified now.

"Yeah, when they were attacking me. They were complaining that you were following me around too often, that you were making their life difficult trying to kill me. They were glad you were finally gone."

Yellow smiled wryly. "I guess they just don't understand how human emotions work, then. I wasn't about to leave you in constant danger just because of one petty feud."

"Thank you," said Green sincerely, the warmth travelling to their chest now. "You saved my life… or at least prolonged it."

Yellow's expression was back to sour in that instant. "Is it certain you'll… pass?"

"No, but I'm not betting on still being alive at the end of this month either." Resigned, Green simply let out a sigh, leaning back on the sheets. "I'm glad we could work things out. I didn't want this to become unfinished business, you know, turn into a ghost."

"I wouldn't mind if you decided to haunt me," said Yellow with a little laugh. "Or if you… wanted to spend some more time with me?"

"Are you sure you still want me that way?" Green looked away, the embarrassment pooling in their gut. "I don't want you to be tied down to me, you know. You've survived no worse for wear and I'm… even if I'm not dead this week, I…" Green's voice cracked. "I might not remember you one day."

"The long-term consequences… are they that bad?"

"A million things trying to turn me into a zombie," said Green, darkly amused. "My lungs will burst, my heart will explode and my brain is trying to kill itself from the inside out."

Yellow wrung their hands together. "That does sound painful for you, and I hope I'm not lessening the weight of the situation by answering your previous question -"

"Please do."

Yellow gave them a relieved smile. "Yes, Green, I'd be willing to try. With you."

"You can't be serious." Green wanted to gape at Yellow, but opening their mouth too wide made their throat scream in protest and Green had no choice but to shut it again, wincing and rubbing their neck.

"Well, I like you for you," said Yellow as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You intrigued me at first, you know? But I think I've gotten to know you well-ish, and you're… you're sweet and kind. You're considerate of other people's feelings. And you tried so hard to make things right with me again. I was just… I just needed to clear my head, I think. Are we even?"

"Everything seems so silly now," Green admitted. But they held their hand out to Yellow, bursting into a smile as they took it. "Well, you've… made an impression on me too. Over the past few days I've… come to realise I like your company. If you'd be willing to go out with me, I'd… that'd be great, yeah." Then Green paused in thought. "To be clear, you aren't forcing yourself to do this, right?"

"No, Green. As nice as it is for you to worry, have a little more confidence in yourself. I swear you're worth it." Yellow gave them a soft smile in return and Green felt warm and tingly all over.

"I guess these will be the best days of my life then," Green joked, angling their head towards the door. "And the others?"

"Are all waiting outside."

"Can they come in now?"

Yellow's eyes widened as they turned to Green. "You want to see _all_ of them?"

"I'm sure they're worried," said Green. _It might be my last chance to see them ever,_ they kept silent.

It was strange. Barely a week ago Green would have loved nothing more than to never see the crew again. But now, Green felt like if they never saw them again they would actually die from _that_ instead. The way Green had treated them was now far too dismissive for their own conscience. Green had never talked to any of them, never interacted with them meaningfully. 

Yet, everyone had been so concerned for Green during the aftermath of the attack, to the point Red had to usher everyone out of medbay. Green knew they were nothing more than a total stranger to some of them. The fact they still cared made their heart warm and their hands clench from guilt.

It was too late to spend time with the fallen crew members now. Maybe before Green passed they could show their thanks to those still remaining.

"If you're sure." Yellow had stood up, but was still hesitating.

"Yes, please. Could you see them in? I'm, uh…" Green stared at the medical bed meaningfully.

Yellow gave a slight nod before they were turning away, opening the door and ushering them in. To Green's amusement and slight embarrassment, it seemed to take Yellow some time to convince the others that yes, Green indeed wanted to see them all at once. Finally, the rest came streaming in - Black, Orange, Pink and Red in that order.

"How are you feeling?" Orange was the first to speak. "Red's filled us in. You're allowed to take a break off work… indefinitely." Orange was clearly trying to deflect the obvious.

"White… we never thought it'd be them," Pink said regretfully. "Remember the day you got that friendship bracelet from Yellow? All of us were together in Yellow's room discussing how they should confess to you. White was super patient. They told Yellow to just be honest with you. They just seemed so kind and caring..." Then Pink smiled and turned to Yellow. "So that idea went well?"

"It did," Yellow said with a chuckle, though it sounded somewhat hollow.

"I'm glad at least… you two will get to spend some time together." Red gave Green a smile. "Me and Pink were angry, you know, only because we thought you were being a dick intentionally. Yellow told me you just didn't know, so… we're really sorry about that."

"Yes, I'm sorry." Pink clasped their hands together as if in prayer. "I'm so sorry, Green. I never wanted this to happen to you."

"It's really alright." Green waved off their concern. "I get why it'd seem that way. I'm not… great at… yeah, I'm not great."

"I wonder why aliens would attack us," said Black, shaking their head. "Kind? Caring? I didn't trust White, honestly. They were so accusatory, trying to put everyone under suspicion… they never once spoke up when we were talking about someone's potential innocence."

"I guess now we'll never know why White was attacking us… and nothing's scarier." Yellow shook their head. "Still, if something like this happens in the future we'll be better off, right?"

"We will," said Orange with determination. "Brown, Blue, Cyan… we won't let their sacrifices be in vain."

"And me," said Green in jest.

"You, uh, can still joke about… you know?" Pink gestured vaguely, but Green understood what they were referring to.

"That's just my coping mechanism speaking," said Green, smiling at Red now. "I've made my peace with Yellow and you all now, though. I'm still terrified, but now at least I know when I die you won't hate me or anything. That's just the worst feeling, you know?"

" _If_ you die," Red corrected Green.

"Ah, yes, but the threat of long-term dementia is in itself a slow death, isn't it?" Green smiled wryly. "Look out. I'm going to age a hundred years in the next twenty. I'll be the youngest elder who ever lived."

"Contrary to popular belief, dementia can affect those younger than 60," Red recited with a good-natured roll of their eyes.

"Was Green always this sarcastic, Yellow?" Pink giggled. "We've really been missing out this whole time."

"Ah, ah, careful, you might be insulting the brain damage I've taken," said Green, almost too casually.

"Yeah. Exactly." Black coughed. "So we were wondering, you know, if you'd let us spend some time with you before you… go. You can decline, of course. Like, we know you're… you, but we just want you to feel less alone if you'd like us to."

Green felt themself leaning forward at that, trying to scrutinise all the crew members and their earnest, eager faces. Green replayed the scene the first day when the buddy system arrangement had been announced by Orange. At that moment, Green hadn't even realised half of them had existed. Had gone out of their way to avoid anyone else. Preferred the quiet company of nothing but the rustling leaves in the greenhouse.

How could they turn them down like this? It seemed almost too cruel. They weren't here to judge them. They were here because they cared, and that was surprisingly kind of them.

"You'd want to spend time with me?" Green asked instead, tears pricking at their eyes that they wiped away with one sleeve. They couldn't tell whether they felt horrible from the guilt and stress or if they were just so _touched_ that the crew still wanted to spend time with them, no matter how often Green had pushed them away.

"You don't have to," Black said, alarmed. "Hey, I'm sorry I -"

"No, no, I want to," said Green with a tearful smile, staring at everyone in the room. "I don't know why you'd want to, but… if you really do want to, sure. Come on in. Just… not all at once next time, please? I still get a little overwhelmed. Today's a special occasion, alright?"

Pink let out a whoop and hooked their arms around Green the best they were able, drawing them into a fierce hug. Red drummed their fingers against Pink's shoulder in a slightly chastising fashion, though they remained smiling. Black gave Green a nod and a thumbs up. Yellow crossed over to Green's other side, placing their hand on Green's shoulder once again. And Orange was fiddling with their phone's camera before they turned around and held it up to the ceiling.

"A group photo," Orange called out with a grin, holding up a peace sign. "The first one Green's been in since recruit trainee camp! Smile!"

This time, despite being surrounded by so many people, Green's smile was genuine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Green will be fine, guys. Mostly. Oh boy, this fic really went through cerebus syndrome


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are some mentions of experiences of trauma and other illness-related things in this chapter.

Of course, Red, being the medic, was the person Green found themself spending the most time with. At Black’s proposal, Red had started to slot in ‘spending personal time with patient’ as part of their schedule. Green wasn’t sure if this was officially allowed, but the alternative was just staring at the ceiling while Red stared at their heart monitor, so they conceded.

“Ew, no way, she should totally have gone for him,” Red was snickering while chewing on popcorn. Green was looking decidedly less satisfied drinking yet more herbal soup. The room was dark and Red apparently thought Desperate Housewives was the most entertaining thing ever invented.

Red was loud, brash, and had a terrible sense of humor. Except Green couldn’t tell them that, because they were already being nice enough spending time with them like this and not their obviously best friend Pink. Green couldn’t help but feel like they were bothering them, although they were literally bedridden and it was literally Red’s job to take care of them.

“What’s wrong? Don’t like this series?” Red asked then.

Fuck, Red had caught on. Green grinned awkwardly. “I mean… it’s certainly a unique choice.”

“Alright, you and I both know that’s code for ‘I hate this’ so go ahead and pick something else.” Red held out the tablet with a smile. “You didn’t protest just now so I thought it was fine. So what _do_ you like? Fantasy? Mystery? Horror?”

Green stared at it before they met Red’s eyes and asked, “You sure?”

“Green.” Red laughed then. “It’s not that big a deal.”

“But… it’s _your_ tablet.”

“And you’re _my_ patient.” Red’s smile faltered a bit at that. “Second day, Green. You’re doing well so far. I’m really hoping you’ll pull through, but in the event you don’t, not letting you pick what you’d like to watch seems a rather petty affair.”

"It's not very petty," Green protested. "I'm fine with anything. I've always gone along with what others say."

"And that's the problem here," said Red with a sigh. "It's not friendship if it's all give and no take, am I right?"

"But, I just mean…"

"Argue again, I dare you. Pick the damn movie so _you_ , the patient, can be decently entertained."

It was Green’s turn to let out a small, sharp laugh. They had almost forgotten what this entire thing had been about in the ensuing discussion. “Okay, then. Thanks, doc,” they teased as they swiped the tablet. 

Then Green realised that as absorbed as they had been in lab research prior to this, getting completely distracted in this manner was something new. In fact, Green was the type of person to get overly fixated on a certain aspect and then spend the next few minutes agonising over it. Well, at least when they weren't panicking. They were in a calm, neutral state, so this was something that had happened of their own accord. 

No, this couldn't be happening. Reduced ability to concentrate? Memory loss? Was it already settling in? Was Green doomed to suffer like this forever after all?

 _An isolated incident,_ Green told themself, almost hysterically. And maybe they _were_ overreacting but Green had officially been granted the right to panic anyway. _It won't happen again. I won't let it._

Red seemed to sense a change in Green's demeanor. “If you're well enough to poke fun at me," Red said carefully, "I'm remaining optimistic about your progress.”

Green smiled ruefully at that, refusing to look Red in the eyes. "Wish I could, too."

"You don't have to be," Red replied after a short pause. "Just let me be here as a… as a sort of guide, right? But I really do have faith in you, medical stats aside. You survived White. You'll survive this." Red's eyes shone with the light of determination Green wasn't sure they deserved.

"...thanks for having such confidence in me," Green said nonetheless, a little louder than before. "It… it's really helping me."

"No problem. That's what I'm here for."

As it turned out, though brutally honest, Red could be kind and gentle as well.

.

Pink was like Yellow in a lot of ways, though more passionate and hot-blooded. Green was starting to see why they were friends.

"I knew it wasn't Red the whole time," Pink explained, sitting at the edge of Green's bed. "We grew up together. We met in kindergarten, when I pulled Red's ponytail to compliment their hair. Imagine! I don't understand why they keep me around," they chuckled in a self-deprecating manner. 

"I keep you around because who else would inflate my ego so much without asking?" Red replied from the opposite end of med bay, smirking.

"Ah, see? I just knew it couldn't be them. They wouldn't do that to anyone because they're such a dork, jeez!" Pink exclaimed, pointing at Red, who pulled a face in response.

“You two have known each other for a long time, then,” said Green, not knowing how else to respond other than to comment the obvious because Green was a massive idiot, duh.

“We’ve had each other’s backs for years!” Pink proclaimed proudly before their expression turned downcast. “Brown was starting to become a good friend to us too, you know. Really fun to be around. But now they’re gone and it’s all because of -“ Pink fumed, smashing their fists together, “- that stupid _White_!”

“We really need someone to analyse that body in the lab soon,” said Red, wrinkling their nose. “Oddly enough, it doesn’t seem to be decomposing.”

“I don’t think I can ever set foot in that place again without someone else with me,” Green said truthfully. “It’s… I… sometimes, when I doze off, I dream I’m back in that place again and White’s there again and it’s that awful moment _again_ -“ Green took a deep breath then, only if for the reassurance that it was all over, and White couldn’t harm them now.

Green was almost starting to regret their assertion when Pink and Red both didn’t respond for a few moments, just staring at Green with stricken expressions. Once it was getting too much, though, Red finally said, “Um… too bad we don’t have a therapist in here, huh?”

“Yeah, Green, honestly. You’ve been through some shit.” Pink looked at them sympathetically. “You should probably take it easy, like, forever."

"I'm going to _die_ , what's the point of a therapist," Green said with a sigh, before they shot up again and stammered, "Um, Red, I didn't mean - as in, I appreciate you taking care of me… not to belittle your efforts or anything."

"Hey, Green, you ever tried talking to anyone about your anxiety before?" Pink asked then, poking idly at Green's bedsheets. "Like… I don't wanna be rude but it seems pretty bad if you're more upset over how Red might feel than, like. Airing out your valid frustrations? I don't know, does this make sense?"

Green blinked. 

So, a lot like Yellow, and almost ten times as perceptive.

"To be clear, no, I am not and will never be upset with you for this," said Red. "You're pretty tame, honestly. You haven't seen the truly dramatic patients. I'm glad for your concern, but you should worry about yourself first. Such as, yes, probably getting yourself a drop ship out of here and finding the nearest therapist."

"Nah, that won't be needed, I know one in the tower just across from here." Pink smiled at Green. "I'll give you their number."

"That'd be…" Awful? A new person to talk to? Make contact with? All reasons Green really, really hated talking to any kind of mental health professional even if it was literally their job. But if Pink knew them, surely it couldn't be all bad. If they were half as attentive and kind and non-judgemental as Pink…

"Yeah. I'll give it a shot if I'm ever out of here," said Green with a small smile.

.

"Speaking of family, I have a sibling back home. Their name's Grey and they're just the cutest little ball of sunshine," said Black with a look of yearning and almost homesickness.

Unlike the others so far, Black had quickly surmised that Green wasn't going to be the one to fill the silence. So, Black had taken it upon themself to come around whenever Red was finally having a well deserved rest to just… sit and talk to Green for a while.

"What about you? Any siblings, Green?"

They were getting lost in thought again. Green needed a distraction from the idea that they just might be losing their edge after all. And something like this was good, because it let Green join in at appropriate intervals to let them feel included in the conversation, while at the same time allowing Black to mostly take the lead. Green couldn't help wondering if Grey was similarly anxious given how experienced Black seemed to be.

"Only child," Green finally replied, almost apologetically. "You grew up together? Sounds like fun."

"It is. We argued a lot when we were kids but we're past that now. I love them lots, that little rascal." Black turned their gaze to the floor. "I don't know what I would have done if White had gotten me, you know. I'd never be able to see them again."

"I… yeah…" Green said, hoping to convey their sincerity. "I mean, I'm not talking good, but I can… relate to and understand your position."

Black laughed at that, their eyes soft. "That's alright. I can hear it in your voice, you know? And there's this nuance to your expression. I can't describe it, but I know you're trying."

"Oh thank god."

Black laughed again. "Today's… the fourth day, right? You gotta hang on for a good long while. Grey's training to be a mechanic just like me and you're going to live to see their official promotion."

"It's all I can do to not die at the horrible hospital soup Red's been serving," said Green, wrinkling their nose. "It's just so… bland. Tastes like health and fitness."

Black smiled and shrugged. "Well, next week you might get some proper food again."

Green was silent for a moment. "The phrase 'next week' has never seemed so far away, Black," they admitted.

"But you're feeling okay, right?" Black instantly sat up in concern at that. "Nothing hurts or anything?"

"That's the problem. Everything seems so _normal_ except for this stupid ass headache and I just keep waiting for the moment I suddenly black out and faint or… or something, I don't know!" Green clutched at their hair with both hands. "I'm sorry, I've just been ranting to everyone like this and I don't know what's wrong with me."

"There's nothing wrong with you," said Black, confused. "You're stressed out by this, completely reasonably, might I add."

"I know, I know I'm stressed and all," said Green, not even sure what they were saying anymore. They felt like they were just throwing out barely connected trains of thought and watching the resulting wreckage. "I mean I just… I really hate bothering you all. I don't like… being like this. It's just that, you know, you really don't _need_ to be here. I'm sorry for this."

"Sorry for what? For White's actions? You're not a burden to any of us, Green," said Black as gently as they could. "I'm not sure why you feel that way, honestly. Red's been telling us you act the same way with him. Is there a specific reason?"

Speaking of the therapist, Black seemed to be doing their best to fill in that role.

"I don't know," Green admitted. "I just. You know. When somebody knows I exist it's just terrible. I guess. And I'd hate to bother you."

"I was the one who said we should keep you company," said Black, "and I intend to honor my word. Don't know about the rest, but they enjoy it, trust me. When you're not with us Pink's always sharing something new they learned about you. 'Did you know Green could fish? Hey, guys, Green likes video games too!'"

"Ugh," said Green, pressing their palms to their eyeballs in hopes of poking them out. Green didn't even know if what they were feeling was embarrassment or contentment at this point. A combo, maybe. "Didn't know I was that interesting."

"We really want to get to know you," said Black, leaning forward. "We always have, but you didn't let us. Trust me. You're a joy to have around."

Alright, third option. Definitely guilt settling in. "I'm sorry," said Green, staring at the blank white mattress gathered around their legs. Yet another reminder of the way they used to act.

"It's okay," said Black with a smile. "We're just glad you're finally giving us a chance."

.

Green understood that for captain Orange, their worry had to be tempered down a little for Green's sake, given the position of authority the elder had over them. So Green didn't blame Orange for keeping a relatively cool, casual air with their daily reports.

"Some lab assistants from tower A82 finally came over last night," said Orange, looking at their tablet. "Hauled off the body for further testing and analysis in another lab."

"That's nice," said Green, who didn't know what else to say.

"I've told them everything you told me. Tentacles? Shapeshifting? Travelling through vents? Multiple eyes? Seemingly two voices?"

"Yes, that, all correct," said Green, flinching and their hands raised in a defensive stance. Then they wondered why on earth they had done that. There was nothing _here_. White was dead. It was just Orange and Red with them in medbay. Green trusted Orange. Didn't they?

"Orange, mx, you may want to be a little _less_ direct," said Red, their hands moving in a 'cool down' motion. "Green doesn't like hearing about the attack and it keeps them up at night. I would like to avoid giving them too many sedatives for their own health."

"Ah, yes." Orange chewed on their pen nervously. "I apologise for that."

"It's fine, it's all fine," said Green shakily, waving their hand at Orange. "You do have to tell me these things, I get that."

"Still, though, I'll try to word them less… directly?" Orange looked to Red for confirmation, who nodded. "Yes, so. MIRA has given you a month's leave."

"A month?" Red scoffed. "Green needs a _year_."

"MIRA said three weeks," said Orange, the fierce scowl on their face almost making Green flinch again. "I told them to take it and shove it. My request for four weeks was stretching it thin, but they granted it just last night."

"I… you, just for me, I… but that's assuming I'll…" Green suddenly couldn't find the words. "I'll…"

"You're progressing well, actually," said Red. "No complications besides some phlegm. Two more days, Green. Two more days and you'll make it."

Green sighed. "Your own words were 'have a drastically reduced chance of sudden death'."

"Must you always be so pessimistic?" Orange asked, half-joking. "No, no, it's fine, really, you have every right to act this way," they added as soon as they saw Green about to hastily apologise. "I don't know why I said that, I know you're upset enough as is."

"It's fine," said Green again, slumping back down.

"Anyway," said Orange, looking very happy to be past the subject, "I've been talking to Red and we've decided that if you ever need any help, we can request special arrangements for you."

Green blinked, uncomprehending. "Like?"

"You know, allowed to take leave here and there to go visit a suitable therapist." Orange gave Green a look. "Yeah, Pink went ahead and phoned one for you after you gave them the go ahead. And also, I can tell the rest of the crew to travel with you, so you'd never be alone in case something happens to you." Orange winced at the memory. "But, you know, round one of the buddy system didn't go so well, so that's completely up to you."

"...thank you, for everything you've done," said Green softly, ducking their head down as a smile crossed their face. Orange had actually gone beyond what was needed to make sure Green was well taken care of. Green wasn't even sure how long Orange must have taken to convince the higher ups to let them go. Every day, Green was surprised by the lengths these supposed strangers were willing to go just for them.

Turns out, when Orange said they would look after their crew, they meant it. Even useless, hapless, hopelessly antisocial crew members.

"I want you to at least consider it," said Red, entering medic mode once again. "It'd reduce the risk of a case such as a sudden heart attack and with no one able to reach you in time."

"Is that likely to happen?" Green asked, cowering.

"At your age? Well… no," said Red. "But it is my duty to inform you of everything that might happen, no matter how unlikely."

"If nothing else, take it as an excuse to spend more time with Yellow," said Orange with a smile. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

While before, the mere suggestion would have made bile rise up in Green's throat, now Green simply felt… happiness. Warm and tingly and at peace. Unseen by Red and Orange, their hand crept to the pocket of their hospital gown, palming the outline of the friendship bracelet Green had kept since they had first received it.

.

Not to belittle the others or anything, but Yellow's visits were undoubtedly the best part of Green's day. They always came by after their tasks were done for a chat and sometimes even brought some Red-approved snacks.

The company was nice, but what Green appreciated most of all was Yellow being there when Red wasn't, holding them through yet another of their White-related nightmares.

"I'm here. I'll shoot White dead again and again to keep you safe," said Yellow in a hushed tone as they hugged Green to their chest tightly, allowing them to hang on until their sobs subsided and they could finally breathe again.

"I'm sorry," Green said, yet again. They clenched their eyes. They knew what was coming.

"If you say sorry again," said Yellow with mirth, their eyes glimmering in the moonlight, "I'll just have to remind you _again_ that it's not your fault."

"I know that, logically," said Green, sniffing and wiping away their tears. They hated this. They hated crying like this, getting Yellow's security uniform all stained and just _bothering_ Yellow this way. "I know, but it's so hard to internalise it."

"You will, one day," said Yellow then, always so gentle and kind and Green was undeserving, they truly were. Green just didn't understand, what the hell was Yellow thinking, why on earth would they want to be _tied down_ to a disaster like this.

"Will I?" Green asked, turning around to face the window. Moonlight was streaming in, and Green lifted their hand, flipping their wrist, watching the shadows dance in the corner.

Yellow didn't reply for a while, and when they finally spoke, their voice was shaky. "I keep dreaming about losing you," they admitted. "I'm just… I'm so scared. And I guess that's… that might be a good thing, right?" When Yellow glanced back at Green, they were alarmed to find tears gathering at the corner of Yellow's eyes. 

"We can be scared together, I mean?" Yellow offered, half-hopeful, half-weary. Green hadn't even known such a combination was possible. Then Yellow was inching closer and whispering, "If it'll help you feel stronger," and Green suddenly realised their ability to say no to Yellow had fled some time this past week.

"The sixth night," said Green, their hand fumbling for Yellow's in the dark and somehow locating it. Yellow didn't protest as Green slipped their hand into theirs, and leaned into their warmth. "I'm… I'm too tired to stay up."

"I guess it is," said Yellow somberly. "That nightmare woke you up, didn't it? You should go back to sleep."

"I'm afraid to."

"Why's that?"

"I know Red's been saying I'm recovering well and all that, but it just feels so hard to believe them when midnight's closing in and I'm -" Green took a deep breath. No, no, they would die with dignity if it came to that. They wouldn't let White's spirit have the satisfaction of watching them crumble and fall. Even if they felt that way and had been feeling that way for quite some time now.

"If I don't wake up tomorrow," said Green quietly, "I just want you to know, like… these few days, I think I've gotten a new perspective on things. And it wouldn't have happened if you hadn't broadened my horizons in the first place, I don't think. You're… you've become important to me."

"That's the most I've ever heard you say at once," said Yellow, faintly amused but their face aglow with happiness. "So… the crew?"

Green smiled, tracing patterns over their own knee. "They're alright."

"I'm glad we're all friends now." Yellow laughed.

The silence that came after was a comfortable one as Green and Yellow both stared outside the window. At this time of night, the MIRA towers were only half illuminated. Green watched as one more window went dark, and wondered if maybe, just maybe, there was another impostor hiding there as well.

Eventually, though, Green's already low energy had to run out. They let out a yawn, and Yellow pushed their shoulders gently in the bed's direction. "You should rest," they chided.

Green didn't want to, but they sensed they were fighting a losing battle. So, obediently, they crept back into the stiff hospital bed and buried their head in the pillow.

"Can you stay here tonight?" Green asked, although Yellow had done so every single night anyway.

"Of course," said Yellow, pulling the blankets up to cover Green's shoulders. "I'll watch over you."

.

Green blinked their eyes open. It was bright, which meant sunlight was filtering in. They sat up and rubbed their eyes, taking in the sight of Yellow sleeping face down on the edge of their bed, with their head resting against crossed arms. The first time Yellow had actually still been there in the morning.

It was beyond adorable.

Green leaned forward the best they were able to, not really sure what they wanted to do. Instinct apparently answered that for them, as they reached out and petted Yellow on the head once. Yellow let out a sleepy murmur as they stirred.

Alright, so… senses intact. They could see, hear, make contact with the living world. Green looked down in wonder at their own fingers and wiggled them once, heart rate measuring device notwithstanding.

They were alive. They were _alive_.

Green had never been so grateful to just _be_ here before. Everything seemed so new, from the wrinkling of the fabric beneath their hands to the sterile smell of their immediate surroundings.

"Oh, Green, you're awake," Red suddenly called, causing them to jump and direct their gaze over to the medic. Red's grin was bright and wide, and they were tapping their pencil against their clipboard in a rhythmic motion. "Hey, congrats. I told you you'd make it."

"Wha - hmm, I'm up," Yellow murmured. They sat up then, yawning and stretching. Then they went stiff, looking about frantically before they finally took in Green sitting upright in bed and their shoulders relaxed.

"You're still here," they said quietly, a sense of awe in their voice before they let out a squeal and wrapped their arms around Green with a huge smile on their face. "You're still here!" they repeated, louder, laughing with sheer joy. "I'm so happy, I - Green, you're really here!"

"Heh, I guess I am." Green awkwardly placed one arm around Yellow's back and leaned into their touch. 

"I couldn't sleep last night, I was so restless, I was just so _worried_ I'd wake up and find your body cold," Yellow said. Their eyes were glistening with fresh tears though their brows were furrowed and their smile was genuine. "I'm so glad you're here, Green. I really, really mean it."

"I'm sorry I made you worry," said Green softly, looking away.

Yellow hiccuped and laughed at the same time, brushing their tears away with one finger. "It's not your fault, but you already knew that."

"I do, but I just… I'm sorry," said Green, sheepish. "So, um, does this mean… we can go get some lunch together at the cafeteria?"

"Slowly, we can introduce you to proper food again," Red cut in, scribbling something on their clipboard now. "But I'm not going to get in the way of your date. Have fun."

"Thank you," said Green with a meaningful look in Red's direction. "For everything."

"It was my pleasure." Red laughed and waved as they left. "I'm leaving for an undetermined amount of time for unclear reasons now." The door clicked shut and their footsteps faded down the hallway, presumably to report the good news.

It was the first time Green had been alone with Yellow without some sort of tension being in their way. Green was, again, surprised at how comfortable they had come to be at Yellow's side, but as they took in their smile, they couldn't say that they minded.

"Having lunch sounds great," said Yellow, life now restored to their being - there was an energy that Green hadn't seen in them in ages. "We could, um, have something you'd like, if you can walk there."

"What about what you'd like?"

"But after everything, I feel like we should…" Yellow stopped and laughed, one hand over their mouth. "Look at me, I forgot we can order different things!"

"So… so did I," Green replied, scratching the back of their head. "Least I know it's not my brain damage talking."

"Mm, no, just kinda nervous and all. I guess we're the same, right?" Yellow giggled. "This will make things easier."

"To think if I knew about this side of you I could have been less afraid of you in the beginning," said Green. They were smiling now, too, infected by Yellow's renewed enthusiasm.

"I'd be happy to share more about myself." Yellow extended their hand in an invitation. "So… later at noon? You wanna… go?"

"Yeah," said Green, taking Yellow's hand. "That sounds perfect."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still debating whether to write an epilogue for this, but for now this is the end. Thank you to everyone who gave kudos and comments!


End file.
